Jon Pierik and Stathi Paxinos

Drew Petrie has played down Friday night's controversial incident with Brian Lake, declaring it part of the game.

Hawk backman Lake had a terrible game in Hawthorn's 20-point loss to North Melbourne, that included several brain snaps and took out his frustration on Petrie in the third quarter. Petrie would finish with five goals.

As the pair wrestled, Lake appeared to forcefully fold his hand around Petrie's neck. Petrie who initially retaliated by groping at the defender's face, possibly even his eyes, before seemingly submitting.

Of his defensive action in response to Lake's aggression, Petrie said he "was just going to grab something because he had me … I didn't mean to gouge or scratch him."

"I'm sure that come tomorrow there'll be something go on and we might hear more about it."

Leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins was so concerned by Lake's alleged choke that he feared the Kangaroos forward could have been asphyxiated during an ugly incident in Friday night's clash at Etihad Stadium.

Lake could be cited by the match review panel on Monday for unduly rough play.

Speaking on 3AW on Saturday, Larkins said he feared for Petrie's health.

"How is Brian Lake to know whether he is not compressing the trachea and breaking the cartilage," he said.

"I don't how much force he was putting on, I can only look at what it looked like the force he was putting on, but if I had been a doctor or a trainer or a physio ... I was concerned that the player who was having his trachea compressed was going to asphyxiate. That is what I would be saying from what I saw."

If Lake is cited, a medical report by Kangaroos doctor Andy McMahon could shape his fate.

Larkins said in the Kangaroos' dressingroom post-match he watched as Petrie discussed the incident with Steve Saunders, the club's director of high performance and training services.

"I didn't hear what he was saying but he was saying that he, obviously, was feeling pressure at the time ... on the throat pressure, I mean," Larkins said.

Hawks vice-captain Jordan Lewis said "what was done ... is probably not acceptable at our club".

"He (Lake) has probably been known in the past to do stuff like that and have brain fades. We haven't seen that at our club as yet. We saw it ... which is what we don't expect from our players," Lewis said.

Lake was heavily criticised, with Sunday Age columnist Matthew Lloyd calling it a "shocking look for the game" and suggested Lake would be suspended for three weeks.

Hawks assistant coach Brett Ratten said he had not examined the incident in detail, having only seen it from the coach's box on Friday night, but conceded "the review panel will have a look at it and they'll make their judgment".

Ratten said it was all part of a poor game by Lake, where he was moved off Petrie immediately after the pair were separated.

"It wasn't his best effort and he'll be the first to put his hand up," Ratten told SEN.

"He's come back into our team since the Collingwood game and played some good football and last night he wasn't at his best but he wasn't by himself in that category.

"It (the move forward) was just more of a shift to get him to settle his thoughts. He's an experienced campaigner whose been around footy a long time.

''He just needed to cool his heels and ... and see if we could just change it up a little bit."

Ratten said there had been plenty of poor performers for the Hawks.

"There were a few (undisciplined incidents) and it all happened in a [short] space of time," Ratten said. "It just wasn't the way we wanted to go about our football and it allowed the whole shift of the game really to go in their favour."

However, Petrie and Kangaroos skipper Andrew Swallow have downplayed the incident.

"I haven't seen Drew this morning but I think he's all right,'' Swallow said on Saturday.

"Drewy was getting on top and Brian was trying to stop him because we all know when Drewy is in great form he's one of the best forwards in the league.''

Lake's manager Marty Pask did not wish to comment when contacted on Saturday.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson was scathing of Lake's poor discipline when he spoke after the game on Friday night.

"He was a bit scratchy tonight and we're pretty disappointed with that five or six-minute patch (in the third term),'' Clarkson said.

He said Lake let his teammates down and the game was right in the balance at that time.

"To incur that 50-metre penalty ... he's been pretty good for us. He was pretty average tonight and we're disappointed with that, but we move on and we hope that he responds from that," Clarkson said.

Veteran Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell suffered his third hamstring strain of the season and could take four weeks to recover.